Easy to understand and doesn't fall into the trap of simply repeating facts and figures. Craig Whitlock uses a really compelling mix of almost anecdotal reflection based on sources of evidence and statistics that reinforce and elaborate upon the points being made. I listened to the entire book in less than three days! I would recommend this title wholeheartedly for those who want to get to the crux of this most devastating of conflicts and for those who, like me, are fascinated by the disconnect between the propaganda and reality. From top to bottom, from country to country, from inept policy maker to corrupt indigenous officials this majestic narrative provides the facts and almost eye popping figures for what has become a symbol of American humiliation. What becomes clear when listening to this first class audiobook is just how badly the war in Afghanistan was conducted. Having studied and taught both history and international relations it comes as no surprise that the west was so hopelessly out of it's depth in almost all conflicts post the second world war. The Afghanistan Papers is a “searing indictment of the deceit, blunders, and hubris of senior military and civilian officials” (Tom Bowman, NRP Pentagon Correspondent) that will supercharge a long-overdue reckoning over what went wrong and forever change the way the conflict is remembered. His successor, Robert Gates, said: “We didn’t know jack shit about al-Qaeda.” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that he had “no visibility into who the bad guys are”. All told, the account is based on interviews with more than 1,000 people who knew that the US government was presenting a distorted, and sometimes entirely fabricated, version of the facts on the ground.ĭocuments unearthed by The Washington Post reveal that President Bush didn’t know the name of his Afghanistan war commander - and didn’t want to meet with him. In unvarnished language, they admit that the US government’s strategies were a mess, that the nation-building project was a colossal failure, and that drugs and corruption gained a stranglehold over their allies in the Afghan government. Just as the Pentagon Papers changed the public’s understanding of Vietnam, The Afghanistan Papers contains “fast-paced and vivid” ( The New York Times Book Review) revelation after revelation from people who played a direct role in the war, from leaders in the White House and the Pentagon to soldiers and aid workers on the front lines. Instead, the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations sent more and more troops to Afghanistan and repeatedly said they were making progress, even though they knew there was no realistic prospect for an outright victory. But no president wanted to admit failure, especially in a war that began as a just cause. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.ĭistracted by the war in Iraq, the US military become mired in an unwinnable guerrilla conflict in a country it did not understand. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. The number-one New York Times best-selling investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public year after year about America’s longest war, foreshadowing the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan, by Washington Post reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Whitlock.
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